[ka24deroadster]

I have an old analyzer model # 161.2104500 but i dont have the manual for it. Does anyone have one or know where to get one?

[marzini]

google: craftsman diagnostic analyzer #161.2104500 manual

[oldred]

Originally Posted by ka24deroadster

I have an old analyzer model # 161.2104500 but i dont have the manual for it. Does anyone have one or know where to get one?

I really hate to be so blunt but don't spend any money on that thing! It is nothing more than a cheap analog multimeter and there are much better testers to be had for just a few dollars. If you open up the case you will find it is just a big box full of almost nothing, just that cheap analog multimeter stuck to the front of the otherwise empty box with a few wires going to the various switches. These things were sold in the early 80's under various names but unfortunately they are just a gimmick, a fancy box to make it look high tech so they could sell a $5 multimeter for almost a hundred bucks! You can go to Wal-Mart and buy an analog multimeter that will take up a heck of a lot less room in your tool box, open up the case and take a look and you will see what I am talking about.

[ka24deroadster]

I figured it is probably a piece of crap and just this side of useless. I was just curious what it was actually supposed to be good for and whether it even worked. I can't even remember where it came from. It has been sitting around on a shelf for probably at least 20 years.

[4 Jaw Chuck]

I have one, the manual is pretty useless and I lost it years ago. The only thing you might need the manual for is for doing load testing with the shunt adapter which i have never used. I have only used it for setting point dwell since the large sweep face makes it easy to dial it in perfect. Of course no use for that function anymore with Electronic ignition the norm.

I will say the meter being large is handy but the case is largely empty as mentioned, lots of storage room for cables and accessories in the back storage cage though.

Its a collectors item if you ask me, my Fluke 88 is far more useful.

[oldred]

Believe it or not I think those things were even sold by MAC tools back in the 80's, I may be wrong about MAC but it was one of the big tool names. If you open the case the multimeter even has a brand name on it, Sunpro I think (it is Sun-something or other) but it has been a long time since I have seen one. It is just an average size multimeter hooked to that big outside face and needle and it came with several handy accessories for automotive electrical testing. If it still works and you have all the extras it certainly can be used it is just that the same things can be done with a much more compact meter.

[T-bucket23]

I have a similar model and it is very useful if used properly. An analog meter can actually be a better tool than a digital as it gives you a visual relationship of two or more readings rather than just numbers. If that meter is the same as mine you can do alternator amperage output diagnostics up to 100 amps, you will not be doing that with your hand held meter anytime soon.
My model number is slightly different. If you want I will try to get the manual copied and sent to you

[oldred]

T, the shunt that is one of the accessories allows that high AMP check not the meter itself. Honestly it is just an analog multimeter and nothing more any tricks it can do is a function of the accessories that come with it, if those are missing then the thing is just a multimeter housed in a big empty metal box. Did you ever look inside the case?


Those things were only available for a short time because word got around quickly about what they were and in no time at all Sears could not give the things away. They sold for a while for, IRC, at $79.95 but the last ones at our local Sears had gotten down to a "clearance" price of $9.95, I remember joking about them with one of the salesmen at the time. The reason I remember them so well is that one year I was given 3 of the darn things as gifts!

[T-bucket23]

Originally Posted by oldred

T, the shunt that is one of the accessories allows that high AMP check not the meter itself. Honestly it is just an analog multimeter and nothing more any tricks it can do is a function of the accessories that come with it, if those are missing then the thing is just a multimeter housed in a big empty metal box. Did you ever look inside the case?


Those things were only available for a short time because word got around quickly about what they were and in no time at all Sears could not give the things away. They sold for a while for, IRC, at $79.95 but the last ones at our local Sears had gotten down to a "clearance" price of $9.95, I remember joking about them with one of the salesmen at the time. The reason I remember them so well is that one year I was given 3 of the darn things as gifts!

The accessories are what make it valuable. I still use mine for charging system stuff once in a while or finding those phanton draws that kill the battery. The big meter face is real easy to see and if it is sitting on the fender it is real easy to see the needle move from a distance. With my old eyes it is not always easy to read the digital.
Dont get me wrong, I also have a good assortment of VOM meters, both analog and digital, a couple scopes etc.For certain items I still like the analog over the digital.

[oldred]

Originally Posted by T-bucket23

For certain items I still like the analog over the digital.

For sure an analog meter is a valuable item to have, DVOMs have too slow a reaction time for some things. For instance an analog meter could be used to extract codes from the early automotive computer systems by counting the number of hand sweeps, try that with a digital meter. Some sensors need an analog meter to check for a momentary signal voltage but of course checking some sensors with an analog meter could cause damage. The fact is there is a need for both and I keep both in my box but the analog (an older Simpson) is rarely used, still it sometimes comes in very handy.


Also I never intended it to sound like I thought those Craftsman outfits should just be thrown away just that they are really not worth spending much money on to get one operational considering what they are.